congress bravely agrees to keep lights on until after election tantrum
Congress heroically votes to keep paying the bills for 10 more weeks, then immediately schedules its next fiscal hostage crisis for after the election.
The House just passed a short-term funding bill to keep the government functioning through Dec. 11, sparing everyone from a pre-election shutdown and preserving the sacred American tradition of doing the bare minimum, but only until it’s politically inconvenient. The bill, already blessed by the Senate, cruises through 370-48 and now heads to Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it because even he understands that “I personally shut down the government right before the election” doesn’t poll well outside the Steve Bannon Cinematic Universe.
Instead of actually funding the government like adults, everyone agrees to punt the hard stuff until after the midterms, when the winners can swagger back for a lame-duck showdown over Trump’s dream of a $1.5 trillion military budget — a cheerful jump from this year’s already obscene $1 trillion. Democrats say no, Republicans clutch pearls about “obstruction,” and both sides quietly acknowledge they’re mostly gaming out how this plays in Susan Collins’ re-election ads.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole openly admits that nobody knows if they’ll do their actual jobs until they see how the election turns out, while Rosa DeLauro gamely pretends the goal is to just “get to the finish line” on real appropriations. Translation: the entire federal government is now a campaign prop on a 10-week extension, waiting to see which faction of this clown car gets to hold the shutdown gun to America’s head in December.
#money#killing-democracy
trump’s $40 trillion ‘nothingburger’ starts to choke the bond market
Scott Bessent explains that $40 trillion in debt is totally normal while quietly rearranging the deck chairs on the USS Dollar Dominance.
The US national debt just strolled past $40 trillion, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is on TV insisting there’s “nothing magic” about that number, which is technically true in the same way there’s nothing magic about driving off a cliff. Publicly, Team Trump 2.0 swears the debt is no big deal because AI-fueled mega-growth will shower the Treasury with tax receipts, solve aging, and probably walk your dog. Privately, Bessent is scrambling to strong-arm the bond market by fiddling with the maturity structure of US debt like a panicked day trader with the nuclear codes.
Instead of doing the boring, responsible thing—like, say, reducing a deficit stuck around 6% of GDP—Bessent is running a DIY version of quantitative easing from Treasury, yanking long-term bonds and swapping them for short-term debt. That’s the kind of move you use in a panic, except the markets aren’t the ones panicking; the Trump administration is. Long-term global interest rates are rising, the dollar’s "exorbitant privilege" is fading, and US Treasuries no longer get the special safety halo they used to. But sure, let’s tell investors to relax while we pile on more short-term refinancing risk.
The best part? Bessent, allegedly the “grown-up in the room,” is burning through his credibility to prop up Trump’s fantasy that Americans can have sky-high spending, permanent tax cuts, and zero austerity forever. Serious budget consolidation is off the table until after the midterms—because nothing says fiscal responsibility like betting the global reserve currency on electoral timing. Meanwhile, the bond market is looking at the gimmicks, the rising rates, the aging population, the looming defense splurge, and the populist spending promises and concluding, quite reasonably: this is fine until it very much isn’t.
#money#forever-grifting
economy sheds jobs, white house sheds reality
Stock photo of the economy being explained by people who swear it’s fine while it’s clearly on fire just off-camera.
Today in "the fundamentals are strong" theater, a new jobs report shows an unexpected loss of jobs while the Trump White House bravely marches out to insist everything is terrific, actually. The numbers say "people are losing work"; the administration says "don’t worry, your lying bank account will catch up to our vibes any day now."
Reporters go over the data: sectors shrinking, hiring cooling, warning lights blinking on the dashboard like a 2008 reunion tour. Meanwhile, the official line from Team Trump is to "sound optimistic" – which here means stapling a smile over the recession indicators and hoping no one notices that the miracle economy keeps tripping over its own shoelaces.
This isn’t economic policy so much as vibes-based governance: if they describe the labor market as "strong" enough times, maybe you won’t notice the pink slip on your kitchen table. The White House strategy appears to be: deny the problem, attack the messenger, and pray the next report looks less like a campaign ad for unemployment insurance.
#money#full-stupid
newsom bravely reveals he is, in fact, very rich
Gavin Newsom bravely discloses that his bank account has already achieved the American Dream, just in case 2028 voters were worried he might understand their lives.
Gavin Newsom, the gelled avatar of West Coast moneyed liberalism, has released more than 700 pages of tax returns to inform the nation of a shocking fact: the governor of California is extremely rich and pays a lot of taxes on his extremely rich-guy income. From 2022 to 2024, the Newsoms pulled in between $1.7m and $2m a year and cut checks of about half a million annually to federal and state tax collectors, because when your brand is "responsible rich guy who might run for president," you have to show your work.
The document dump arrives as the DOJ is investigating the couple’s finances, which Newsom insists is politically motivated, so he’s responded by performing the classic pre-presidential ritual: tax return kabuki. The money mostly comes from winery and restaurant businesses parked in a so-called blind trust, which is adorable, because the returns conveniently don’t list which businesses made what. The PlumpJack empire is now run by his sister and cousin, so the trust is less "blind" and more "I just won’t ask my relatives too many follow-up questions."
On the lifestyle side, we learn the Newsoms spent up to $44,000 a year on childcare and handed out $40,000 to $65,000 annually to charity, plus thousands in donated clothes and toys. The highlight: they offloaded $45,000 worth of Armani business wear to a racial justice organization in Oakland, presumably so activists can fight systemic inequality while dressed like they’re headed to Davos. The returns show one big spike in 2021, when they made $4.2m after selling a Marin house for nearly $6m, paid over $1m in taxes, and somehow resisted the urge to call that "middle class" on cable news.
#money#oligarchy
14.6 million for a patriotic swamp
Behold: $14.6 million of American greatness, now available in ‘Swamp Green.’
Trump’s proud $14.6 million “American Flag Blue” reflecting pool has rapidly transformed into a vibrant algae green, because of course it has. The administration shelled out a small fortune for a hyper-branded, on-theme puddle of water, only to apparently forget the part where you maintain it so it doesn’t look like a neglected kiddie pool behind a foreclosed McMansion.
This is the Trump aesthetic in distilled liquid form: spend millions on a flashy monument to patriotism, slap a marketing name on the color, then watch it literally rot in public. While agencies are starved for funds and actual infrastructure crumbles, the White House prioritized a luxury flag-colored pool that couldn’t stay blue longer than a news cycle. Government by photo op turns out to be less impressive once the cameras come back and everything’s moldy.
The best part? You just know some communications staffer is workshopping a line about how the green symbolizes “economic growth” or “the success of deregulation.” When you treat the federal government like a failing golf course, you don’t get a shining city on a hill—you get a murky, algae-choked moat around the world’s most expensive vanity project.
#money#full-stupid#forever-grifting
trump’s small business ‘boom’ needs life support
A small business owner heroically trying to stay optimistic while the ‘greatest economy ever’ eats their margins for breakfast.
The National Federation of Independent Business optimism index just slid to 95.3, its lowest level since October 2024, erasing almost all of the post–Trump-reelection sugar high. Turns out you can’t run an economy on vibes, tax cuts for donors, and press releases about how everything is ‘the greatest in history’ while small business owners watch their costs go up and customers disappear.
Instead of MAGA prosperity, the Guardian notes that small business owners are now mostly worried about taxes, inflation, and labor costs, with 29% saying they can’t fill jobs — a fun combo of wage suppression, policy chaos, and general second-term Trump instability. The same administration that promised to ‘unleash’ Main Street has basically unleashed a questionnaire asking, ‘So how bad is it, exactly?’ while pretending this isn’t what happens when you prioritize stock tickers and donor portfolios over actual local economies.
The Guardian is now collecting stories from small business owners about how they’re limping along in Trump’s economy — cutting hours, raising prices, praying the next executive tantrum doesn’t nuke their supply chain. The official line from Trumpworld is still that America has never been stronger; the data, and the people trying to make payroll, are politely disagreeing.
#money#trumps-america#forever-grifting
trump promised 'the best economy' and delivered shrinkflation on aisle 5
Trump smiles confidently while Americans calculate whether they can afford both groceries and electricity this month.
Americans are staring at grocery receipts like crime scene photos while TV reporters politely explain that, yes, prices are still up, wages aren’t keeping pace, and the political fallout is starting to look less like a ‘vibe’ and more like a brick to the face. The piece walks through how voters who bought Trump’s "I alone can fix it" economic branding are now discovering that what he fixed was corporate profit margins, not their weekly supermarket bill.
Instead of a coherent inflation strategy, we get tariffs, trade tantrums, and a White House that treats monetary policy like a Fox & Friends call-in poll. Business passes costs straight to consumers, Trump’s allies scream about "fake data" whenever numbers look bad, and the administration’s big idea is… more tariffs and more deregulation for the same companies gouging everyone. Authoritarian cosplay is expensive, and funnily enough, it’s not the Mar-a-Lago crowd clipping coupons.
The report notes growing political anger as voters connect the dots between Trump’s economic circus and the price of eggs, gas, and rent. Republicans who cheered on the chaos now clutch their pearls about inflation, while Democrats flail at explaining that "structural policy failures" is just economist-speak for "you’re getting robbed in slow motion." Inflation under Trump isn’t just an economic story; it’s a quiet, relentless tax on everyone who isn’t rich enough to have a tax lawyer on retainer.
#money#forever-grifting#trade-war
trump discovers roads are optional
Trump gestures at a gas pump like it personally wronged him, while a highway bridge quietly wonders how it’s supposed to exist without money.
Trump starts a war with Iran, gas prices jump more than 30%, and the White House’s big idea is … to defund the highways. The administration is now floating a suspension of the federal gas tax — a cool 18 cents a gallon that helps pay for the actual roads people use to buy the gas in the first place. NBC’s analysis notes that even if you wiped out all state and federal gas taxes, prices would still be 14% higher than before Trump’s war started, but sure, let’s pretend the problem is the 18 cents keeping bridges from falling into rivers.
States are scrambling to join the theater: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Utah, and Illinois all played some version of "Weekend at Bernie’s" with their gas taxes, propping up temporary holidays and reductions while the underlying price surge kept marching on. Meanwhile, the Highway Trust Fund — which pays for highway and mass transit projects — is staring at the prospect of losing at least $2.5 billion per month so the president can claim he’s "doing everything" to lower prices he helped cause. Energy Secretary Chris Wright dutifully says the administration supports all measures to lower prices, which apparently includes starving infrastructure funding that hasn’t seen a federal tax increase since Bill Clinton was still arguing about NAFTA.
So Americans get a few pennies off per gallon while their roads, bridges, and transit systems get slowly strangled to death. It’s the Trump governing model in miniature: burn something down, hand out coupons for the ashes, and call it relief.
#money#forever-grifting
trump backs gas tax holiday, offers america a coupon while torching the store
Trump explains his new economic plan: blow a hole in the highway fund and hope voters don’t notice the bridge collapsing until after November.
Donald Trump has discovered a bold new economic strategy: take a chainsaw to the Highway Trust Fund and call it a “win for the American people.” He told reporters he’d support suspending the federal gas tax — about 18 cents a gallon — “until it’s appropriate,” which is a very normal way to describe defunding road and transit programs in the middle of a global crisis and a war-driven energy shock.
Congress, naturally, is sprinting to the bad idea buffet. Democrats already rolled out a gas tax holiday bill in March, Republicans like Josh Hawley and Anna Paulina Luna are racing to slap their own names on the same gimmick, and everyone’s pretending this is some grand populist breakthrough instead of a glorified rebate coupon. The Bipartisan Policy Center notes that even if they do it, consumers might see only 10–16 cents of relief while gasoline suppliers quietly pocket the rest — but sure, let’s blow a multi-billion-dollar hole in infrastructure funding so Exxon can find another gold-plated conference room.
Meanwhile, the federal gas tax is what keeps the Highway Trust Fund alive — you know, the thing that pays for highways and mass transit so the country doesn’t literally crumble. A five-month suspension could strip billions from that fund this fiscal year, but that’s a future problem, and Washington’s favorite party trick is looting tomorrow’s budgets to buy today’s talking points. Gas is averaging $4.52 a gallon thanks to the Iran war, and Trump’s big move is to weaken long-term transportation funding so politicians can film campaign ads at gas stations bragging about shaving a dime off the price of a gallon. Peak American governance.
#money#full-stupid
trump updates 'save america' act to 'save my poll numbers' act
Trump explains how the SAVE America Act will totally work this time, if you ignore the fine print, the math, and the last one.
Trump’s team has apparently discovered a bold new legislative strategy: pass a big, loud, "SAVE America" bill to fix inflation and then start quietly carving holes in it while voters are still trying to figure out what the acronym stands for. The new provisions to the SAVE America Act reportedly undercut the very election message Trump is running on — you know, the one where he’s single‑handedly rescuing the economy from the mess he also helped create.
Instead of a coherent anti‑inflation plan, we now get a policy Mad Libs page where industry carve‑outs, donor‑friendly tweaks, and election-year gimmicks are scribbled in the margins. NBC’s breakdown politely calls it an undercut; a more accurate term might be legislative gaslighting — say one thing on the stump, write another thing into law, and hope nobody notices the part where the "middle class relief" keeps migrating toward the people with private jets.
The best part? The White House is still trying to sell this Franken-bill as proof that Trump is laser‑focused on cost of living, even as the numbers — and analysts like Kornacki — point out that prices and political blowback are both moving in the wrong direction. So the administration’s 2026 message is basically: the SAVE America Act is working perfectly, except for the parts we keep rewriting, the outcomes that keep getting worse, and the voters who keep refusing to believe the PowerPoint.
#money#forever-grifting
trump’s ai miracle comes with a surprise: your power bill
Artist’s rendition of the American power grid, shortly before Trump’s AI agenda asks it to run a small sun in every county.
Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal have discovered a rare bipartisan cause: making sure Trump’s AI gold rush doesn’t end with Americans funding Microsoft’s server farms every time they turn on a light. Their GRID Act would bar data-center-driven hikes on consumer utility bills, force data centers to rely on off‑grid power over time, and require public disclosure of how much juice these AI temples are sucking out of the system. So yes, we’ve reached the part of the Trump boom where Congress has to pass a law saying, please stop billing Grandma for OpenAI’s GPU cluster.
Trump, naturally, has already declared that he never wants Americans to pay higher electricity bills because of data centers, while simultaneously making “rapid AI and data center buildout” a core plank of his economic agenda. The message from the White House is clear: the U.S. is the “HOTTEST” country in the world and “Number One in AI,” but Big Tech must “pay their own way” — which is an inspiring slogan from an administration whose entire model is tax breaks, subsidies, and letting corporations quietly offload costs onto everyone else’s utility bill.
Democrats have been throwing acronym soup at the problem — the POWER, SHIELD, PRICE, and "Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs" Acts — while states like Pennsylvania scramble to write their own rules before some hyperscale server barn shows up and starts drinking the grid like a milkshake. Tech companies are split: a few are willing to pay more or build their own power sources, while others insist they already pay their fair share, which is a fascinating interpretation of fair when rural residents are staring at higher bills and humming substations so that Meta’s AI can generate better engagement bait.
So we now have bipartisan agreement that the Trump-backed AI land rush might accidentally torch household budgets and strain a grid that was already wobbling. The administration gets to brag about being an AI superpower, Big Tech gets its data centers, and Congress is left trying to staple consumer protections onto a runaway server train. Welcome to Trump-era innovation: the future is bright, assuming you can still afford to keep the lights on.
#money#forever-grifting
welcome to the trump economy: vibes up, wallets down
White House economic adviser explains that if you can’t afford your life, you just don’t understand how beautiful the Trump economy looks on a chart.
The top White House economic adviser went on TV to proudly declare that “it’s the Trump economy now” — which is a bold branding decision for an administration facing widespread affordability concerns. When groceries, rent, medical bills, and student loans are eating people alive, the message from Trump’s team is basically: you’re not broke, you’re experiencing historic greatness.
Instead of acknowledging that families are getting crushed, the adviser leans into the sales pitch, insisting everything is fine because of Trump’s alleged economic genius. In other words, it’s not that your paycheck doesn’t cover your life anymore, it’s that you’re too ungrateful to appreciate how amazing the numbers look in a PowerPoint somewhere. Because nothing says “working for the little guy” like telling people who can’t afford housing that they’re living in a golden age.
The real function of this messaging is obvious: slap Trump’s name on the economy, declare victory on TV, and hope no one notices who’s actually winning — corporations, billionaires, and the same donor class that keeps this circus funded. But sure, call it the Trump economy. If the White House wants to own the mess, who are we to argue?
#money#forever-grifting#killing-democracy
Golfing While the Nation Pays: A Masterclass in Absurdity
President dumb shit keeps wasting more taxpayer money on his stupid fucking golf trips
Donald Trump’s latest golf spree has extracted a jaw-dropping $18 million+ from taxpayers, proving once again that his favorite pastime is dollar-sign-distracted vacationing while Americans work to pay the bills. Only 48 days into office, he’s already chalked up more green time than most zebra-striped greens—14 days on the links, folks! Meanwhile, he promises he's too 'busy' to swing a club on official trips, a claim made while racking up costs that could fund a small army, or at least a decent daycare. As if we needed further proof of the stunning hypocrisy of an elite enjoying leisure on the public's dime while pretending to lead.
#money
Trump Tramples on Progress: A Hopeful Future for the Debt
look at this fucking idiot
In a stunning display of political myopia, Donald Trump crusades against the Chips Act, aiming to siphon off $52.7 billion meant to boost American semiconductor production and dump it into the bottomless pit of national debt. Forget about innovation and job creation; who needs those when you can take a wrecking ball to bipartisan progress, all while blathering about 'bad money’ and promoting tariffs? This absurdity isn't just self-serving greed; it’s a direct assault on the livelihoods of thousands and a slap in the face to the very companies trying to keep America competitive. Bravo, Mr. Trump! Just when we thought you couldn’t get any more incompetent, you redefine the meaning of governance. Congratulations!
#money#losses
Trump's Trade Tariff Circus: Clowns Run the Show
ye olde vagina neck
As investors finally wake up to the disaster that is Trump's tariff hysterics, the market is flailing like a fish out of water, scrambling to escape the stupidity of a 34% average tariff on China while the dollar plummets into the abyss. Who needs international trade when you can just slap hefty fees on your neighbors and watch as allies flee? Leaving CEO panic in his wake, Trump’s chaotic threats ensure a legislative nightmare we didn’t ask for, and analysts are left sounding like fortune tellers in a storm. Good luck finding stability in a market governed by a toddler’s tantrums!
#money
Tariffs: Trump’s Gift to the Market’s Funeral Directors
this fucking idiot bankrupted 6 countries so lets let him bankrupt the country too bright fucking idea
In a ludicrous display of economic self-sabotage, President Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods have sent the stock market plummeting faster than a lead balloon. The Nasdaq nosedives by 2.6%, while the Dow sinks like a stone, leaving investors gasping for air as Europe's markets laugh all the way to the bank. With U.S. manufacturers choking on rising supply costs and inflation lurking like an ex at a wedding, it’s a beautiful day to watch American financial stability melt down like an ice cream cone in July. If you needed proof that the circus has taken over the White House, look no further.
#money
Peeling Back the Layers of Economic Absurdity
Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick speaks in the Oval Office of the White House after President Donald Trump signed an executive order, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
In a stunning display of economic acrobatics, the Trump administration's Commerce Secretary nominee, Howard Lutnick, proposes to magically transform government spending into a disappearing act from GDP reports, as if slashing federal agencies won't rain down hell on the economy. This bizarre rationale, borrowed straight from Elon Musk's fantasy land, essentially claims that paying people to think is less valid than purchasing a single tank. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of federal workers face the prospect of job cuts, all while these clowns tout 'transparency' as they dive headfirst into this absurdly logical charade. Watch as they redefine 'growth' in a way that would make Orwell blush—all under the illusion that cutting essential services is the path to nirvana. Expect the best economy ever, folks, just as soon as they find a way to ignore reality!
#money
doge quietly removes savings it once touted from its list cuz it turns out theyre actually full of shit
speaker "my son knows when I masturbate"
House Republicans just **voted to gut Medicaid and food assistance** for **millions of low-income Americans**—all to **fund massive tax breaks for the rich.** The plan? **Slash $880 billion from Medicaid**, kick **9 million people off SNAP**, and still **only cover 20% of Trump’s tax giveaways.** But don’t worry, billionaires and big corporations are getting **exactly what they paid for.**
#money#trumps-america
turns out doges saving are completely fucking fabricated, tracks for the conman grifter idiots they are
idiots conmen grifters rapists and frauds
Trump’s **biggest cost-cutting stunt** turns out to be **a total scam**, with nearly **40% of canceled contracts saving exactly $0**—because **you can’t “cut costs” on money that’s already been spent.** Meanwhile, Musk’s **Department of Government Efficiency** is bragging about **slashing research, training, and even paid media subscriptions**, because nothing says **fiscal responsibility** like **cancelling contracts for office furniture and carpet cleaning.**
#money
president dumbshit sends thousands of troops to the border to cull the "invassion", but theyre just sitting around not doing shit cuz there is no invasion
border patrol agents going fishing for donuts
Trump **deployed thousands of troops to the border** for a **crisis that doesn’t exist**, and now they’re **sitting around collecting six-figure salaries** to do **absolutely nothing**—except maybe boost the local bar economy. Meanwhile, asylum is **shut down entirely**, but sure, let’s keep paying for military helicopters to **patrol empty fields** for the sake of “tough of looking like a tough guy.” even though hes 350lbs doesnt exercise wears clown make up and destroys big macs
#money#full-stupid#anti-immigration
